International Protest Campaign Launched to Stop Ocean City, New Jersey from Using Ancient Rainforests for Boardwalk Decking
Contacts: Rhonda VanWingerden, rhondavw@yahoo.com; Dr. Glen Barry, glenbarry@ecologicalinternet.org
Ocean City, New Jersey, September 10, 2007 -- Friends of the Rainforest (FOR) and Ecological Internet have launched an Internet based international protest campaign to stop Ocean City, NJ from using ipê, an ancient rainforest wood, for boardwalk decking. Thus far 3,153 people from 70 countries have sent 43,924 protest emails to Ocean City officials from: http://www.rainforestportal.org/shared/alerts/send.aspx?id=jersey_boardwalk
The campaign continues to grow and gain international attention.
On September 14th Gomercindo Rodrigues -- the heir to Chico Mendes, a rainforest conservation leader who was murdered for trying to bring justice to the Amazon -- will be coming to speak about his new book at the Ocean City Arts Center at 7pm. Mr. Rodrigues has worked with indigenous people who make a living rubber tapping in a sustainable manner. Their livelihoods are threatened by industrial logging of rainforests of the type sought for Ocean City's boardwalks. He will be telling stories about growing up in the Amazon.
Friends of the Rainforest is a grassroots New Jersey group that opposes the use of rainforest wood for boardwalks. The international campaign has been a result of being contacted by international environmental organizations who recognize that this local issue has global environmental impact. FOR joined forces with Ecological Internet, a non-profit provider of environmental portals which specializes in the use of the Internet to achieve environmental conservation outcomes, to launch an international protest campaign on August 13, 2007.
In a recent campaign victory, the city council passed a resolution (4-3) requesting that the administration stop the planned purchase of ipê. The vote took place in light of new information regarding the availability, viability, and cost effectiveness of other boardwalk decking materials including structural grade plastic lumber and domestic hardwoods.
The Ocean City Mayor is obstinately refusing to listen to this recent council vote, a unanimous Environmental Commission recommendation to not use ipê, 8 months of citizen protests, global environmental protest, and a 1997 City Council resolution which stated that they "...will no longer purchase tropical rain forest hardwood for the boardwalk... and recommends to future governing bodies that they investigate all the ramifications of using tropical rainforest hardwood before changing the policy."
Rhonda Van Wingerden, Representative of FOR, states "the outpouring of concern from the local and international communities over Ocean City's misuse of the Earth's rainforest resources has far exceeded any outcome FOR could have anticipated. We expect the mayor to rethink his current plans and recognize the immense volume of people who are against his desire to have ancient rainforest wood as a decking material."
"The age of ancient forest logging is over," explains Ecological Internet's Glen Barry. "Large, relatively intact expanses of ancient rainforests must remain fully intact to address global climate change and loss of biodiversity and other ecosystem services. Primary rainforest timbers belong in the canopies of ancient rainforests, not in boardwalks in Jersey."
In January 2007 the City misleadingly presented industrially harvested ipê from ancient rainforests as the material of choice to redeck the boardwalk. The city presented Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certified ipê as an environmentally responsible choice despite mounting worldwide evidence regarding major problems with the FSC's certification of ancient forest logging as "responsible". Certifiers admit that they only certify operations as "well managed" and never "sustainable". Recently, Norway banned all use of tropical timber from their public procurement process citing that there is no certification process, even FSC that can guarantee that imported wood is legally and sustainably logged.
–END-
CONTACT:
Rhonda VanWingerden
Representative, Friends of the Rainforest
+1 609 602 9619 cell
rhondavw@yahoo.com
Dr. Glen Barry
President, Ecological Internet, Inc.
+1 920 776 1075 work phone
glenbarry@ecologicalinternet.org
Comments
I just wanted to share with you one of the special personalized protest emails that we see quite often:
Dear Mayor Perillo,
please, read this.... and please don't stop reading it till
u r threw.... and please think about this...
i'm 13 years old, and i absolutly, positivly LOVE OCNJ.
people ask me, why don't u go to OCMD? since i live in
maryland. i don't know how to answer them... but watever. i
just totally ADORE going to OCNJ!!!
anywayz, i'm going to tell u a little story i made up, and
i want you to read it. and keep reading it. i know u've
recieved thousands of emails from tree huggers all around
the world, but maybe none quite like this.
Once Upon a Time, there was a little tree. This little tree
lived with all it's neighboring trees, and loved them all.
The trees would whisper to eachother, talk to one another.
The little tree would provide oxygen for the people and
animals who lived near it. The little tree was the home for
many animals. And this little tree lived in the
rainforrest.
Well, one day, the little tree grew up. it grew to be big
and strong and mighty. it became the home for many more
animals, and it provided more oxygen for the people.
Occasionally, a tourist or explorer would come, and look
with wonder at the tree. It was so big, so colorful, so
facinating! Adorned with flowers, vines, colorful birds,
bugs, and animals.
Then one day, something terrable happend. The tree knew
something was up when it saw men comming right toward it.
The tree wanted to run away, but it couldn't. it was stuck
in the ground! the men came and started sawing into it. The
men could not hear it, but the tree growned in pain. The
tree then fell, down, down, down to the ground with a
crash.
Many animals lost their homes that day, some even were
killed. The tree could no longer produce shelter, oxygen,
or beauty. And that was the end of the little tree....
Why should we take advantage of the trees? What's wrong
with the boardwalk that we already have? Imagine life with
no trees. i climb trees almost every day. i would not be
able to live!!
Please, Mr. Mayor, please do not cut down all those trees
for the boardwalk. Please... no one wants you to. no one.
not at all.
When i was little, i wanted to be an explorer. i was so
determined to be an explorer! when someone asked me what i
wanted to be when i grew up, i said, "I want to be an
explorer and explore the rainforrest!" What are you trying
to do here, Mr. Mayor? ruin children's dreams? destroy the
enviroment? replace the boardwalk. i know that this seems
to be ok with you, but it's not ok with everyone else. and
it is very immature of you to ignore all these emails and
enviromentlists. please don't cut down all those trees.
Please don't. if people keep cutting down trees
mindlessly... i'll, i'll never, ever get to live out my
dream.... never.... ever..... ever.......
Sincerely,
D. Roland
United States of America
cc:
Ocean City councilpersons, City Engineer, City Clerk, City
Purchasing Agent, Ocean City Chamber of Commerce
Posted by: Glen Barry | September 13, 2007 11:23 AM
You should really get some facts before making this stuff up. OCNJ is much greener than any place you will ever live. Ask Scott Paul of Greenpeace who says Ocean City should be commended for seeking FSC-certified wood and paying extra for it.
Posted by: Kermit | October 8, 2007 3:16 PM